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On Thursday 13^th December 2012 a subset of the obvious suspects gathered at the Bell, Wendens Ambo CB11 4JY, to taste some treasures.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1830 Sherry (#1);
• 1942 Rebello Valente (#2, JDAW, from THRA);
• 1945 Dow (#3, RAYC);
• Cockburn Crusted, bottled 1928 by Avery’s (#4);
• 1922 Sandeman? (#5, WS);
• Unknown perhaps Croft 1912 (#6, CMAG);
• 1927 Taylor (#7);
• 40 year old Santa Eufemia White Tawny (#8);
• Penfolds Great-Grandfather Tawny (#9);
• 1931 Ramos Pinto (#10, AP);
• 1927 Croft (#11, PW);
• 1927 Taylor (#12, AHB);
• Unknown perhaps a very old colheita (#15, CMAG);
• Niepoort VV, 2012 bottling (#16, DN);
• ‘Placemats’, meaning TN sheets and sticky labels, and the parameters used in their construction;
• Planning and arrangements.

Previously at the Bell: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.

Rich and red, looking quite youthful; 80% opaque. Huge amounts of baked fruit on the nose, sadly also with lots of stink. Hollow and bitter on the palate, with the flavours of the stink dominating. Thin and dried out. Also dry, and tasting of wood ash on the aftertaste and with a finish that is full of dry and bitter fruit, but does have a tremendous length. The rating for this wine was significantly marked down by the palate and nose. 82/100

T27. Red-brown, 50% opaque. Nose had a slight stink. In the palate too, with red fruit. Short, middle weight.